The WSL’s Take On The Academy Awards

Formerly known as the ASP banquet, the WSL awards is 2017’s posthumous ceremony and it took place on the Gold Coast last night. 

With the first World Tour event of the year kicking off Sunday, the WSL awards is a low key affair—more sparkling water than sparkling wine being consumed, unlike the post-event parties, which are often the antithesis of competitive health, and rightly so. 

There is no victory without celebration. 

The entire WSL show, which you can watch above, is knocked out in 100-odd long-form minutes: world champions, biggest moves, and intoxicating heats. But the real reason you’re enticed is to cast your eyes upon the fashion.

We know surfers are comfortable in everything from skin-tight neoprene to knee-hugging trunks, but when the attire trends towards dry land ensems, things can go astray, and quick. 

While the Oscars have every star groomed courtesy of a platoon of high-end stylists, surfing’s superstars more often than not go rogue—ill-fitting suits, floral-adorned button-downs, and the occasionally show-steeler dress.

This year, certainly the Best Dressed had to go to Mr. Gabriel Medina, with well aired ankles, a rolled-up blazer and signature gold chains. 

We have the high and lows of high-performance surf fashion up above and the Academy Award winners down below. 

Unsurprisngly, Filipe’s double J-Bay spin took came out on top. Were any of the remaining abundance of 10-point rides even considered?

Stab’s Gold Coast favourite was awarded Wave of the Year for her snap happy ‘9.5’ on her way to winning the Maui Pro. 

Whereas the top individual maneuvers went down a little differently, both the men and women’s Best Moves were granted to open face slashes. 

Prior to Margaret River in 2017 it was an ubiquitous opinion that rail surfing had reached the pinnacle of progression.

That was, until John John came along.

Regardless of how big your loft is or how many degrees you rotate, there’s nothing more aesthetically pleasing in competitive surfing than effortless power surfing. Whilst his competitors skipped around and fumbled at Main Break, Margaret River, John laid down the most dominant CT performance in recent memory. What Shane Dorian and many others consider the greatest competitive performance ever.

The women’s Best Move also kept it’s fins in the face, awarding Carissa Moore for a layback that had flyweights, men and women both, putting their tail between their chicken legs.  

Julian Wilson’s dying moment dash against Gabriel Medina in imperfect Chopes was deemed the most enthralling heat for the mens. (A heat which I regretfully exited mid-lecture, because it appeared to be all but over.) 

And Carissa and Lakey’s Trestles takeover was given top spot for the ladies.